KJCKorea
Journal Central

Bogwangsa Temple is a temple located in the heart of Sokcho and was founded in 1938. The history of this temple represents the changes and flow of Buddhism in Korea in the modern times. In the 1930s, Priest Hwadam, who was the head of Mt. Geumgang's Anyangam Hermitage and Mitaam Hermitage founded it in Buldanggol near Yeongnangho Lake in Sokcho to spread the religious teachings. As Anyangam Hermitage was lost in a heavy rainfall, Priest Hwadam brought Jijangbosalsang and two Buddhist paintings -Hyeonwangdo and Sinjangdo and so on- to enshrine at Bogwangsa Temple. This study discussed the images and characteristics of <Hyeonwangdo> which was created in 1865 and said to have been moved here from Mt. Geumgang's Anyangam Hermitage in the 1930s and examined the original place of enshrinement and creator through Bokjangwonmun. <Hyeonwangdo> in Bogwangsa Temple is a drawing of Hyeonwang who is seated in the middle holding a tablet in both hands in front of an eight-sided screen and his family is around him. His family, including Cheondongcheonnyeo and Pangwan holding symbolic objects, is arranged bilateral symmetrically. The position and arrangement of the family and the objects and screen in <Hyeonwangdo of Bogwangsa Temple> are almost the same with <Hyeonwangdo of Bodeoksa Temple (1865)> in Yesan. Both pieces succeed the layout and style of the old-fashioned <Hyeonwangdo> created in the early 18th Century and the same sketch was shared by Beobin, the Buddhist painter of <Hyeongwangdo of Bogwangsa Temple>, who also participated in creating <Hyeonwangdo of Bodeoksa Temple>. In this respect, <Hyeonwangdo of Bogwangsa Temple> would be a meaningful resource for the discovery of a new artist called Beobin.

Bogwangsa Temple(普光寺), Hyeonwangdo((現王圖), Hwaeomsa Temple(禾嚴寺), Bokjangwonmun(腹藏願文), Songamdaewon(松岩大遠), Beobin(法仁), Wonmyeonggeungwoo(圓明亘祐)